...And now for something completely different!

Cabrito!

These guys know what I'm talking about.



I had a flash of inspiration at Central Market a couple of weeks ago when they had cabrito at the meat counter as part of their Celebracion de Espana or somesuch. For those of you who lead lives in which Outback Steakhouse represents an adventurous culinary challenge, cabrito is kid goat, usually 3-4 months old. Roughly the goatier equivalent of lamb.

Now, if you've ever smelled a goat, you may find it surprising that anyone would want to eat one. They have a sort of earthy pungency, and I don't mean that in anything resembling a positive way. Curiously, I'm not the first person to think of eating goat. It's very popular in Mexico and Greece, among other places. In fact, the goat has quite the storied history in Greece, dating back to this guy:

That's Pan. He's half-goat, half-god. He's the god of shepherds, hunting and folk music. His name is where we get the word panic, describing the effect of his music on Arcadian yokels. Tim Robbins says, "there was a sort of hippity-hoppity bunny rabbit quality to Pan's erratic melody, but also a roaming goatish quality, stubbor, rough, and lean." That's from Jitterbug Perfume, a book that talks a lot about goats. And also about beets, another underappreciated food that I love.

But back to the cabrito. It started off like this, and let me tell you. It smelled like a goat.

That's actually after I marinated it in apple juice, lime juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, and a Bud Light. Because I keep it real. Then I dried it off and threw this stuff on it.

Salt, pepper, chile powder, cumin, thyme and dry mustard. It looks pretty in the bowl, no?

Will Atkinson, keeper of the fire in my heart and in our smoker, created a nice smoky place for the goat leg to sit for about six hours, while I basted it with some reduced Bud Light marinade and a stick of butter. Butter is the answer.

Here's the finished product:

Wantsit.

And here's what it looks like in taco form. Before I devoured it like a crazy person.

Special thanks to my dear friend Taylor Strong for the peppers and onions from his garden. A taste sensation.

So the moral of the story is, you should try some cabrito some time. It's leaner than chicken and has more protein than beef. And it tastes like a goaty miracle. I leave you with a farewell toast from Pan, via Jitterbug Perfume.

 "For you sir, may the jaws of death have cotton teeth."